Cobham lands USAF T-38C trainer radio retrofit contract

Cobham Aerospace Communications has been awarded the contract to supply Boeing with advanced FliteLineTM communication and navigation radios for retrofit on more than 450 Northrop T-38C military trainer aircraft operated by the United States Air Force.

A Student pilot from the 80th Flying Training Wing assigned to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot training (ENJJPT) program takes off at sunrise in a T-38 Talon Oct. 30, 2014, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas(Credit: U.S. Air Force/Danny Webb)

The first FliteLine delivery is expected in 2018 by Cobham, and the program is scheduled to conclude in 2020. Value of the contract is over $25M USD.

FliteLine avionics are versatile, lightweight, compact, and ideal for the rigorous demands of rotorcraft and jet trainer aircraft. The T-38C suite will feature Cobham’s CVC-151 VHF COM transceiver, with 20 watts transmit power, and the CVN-251 VHF NAV receiver, with embedded digital VOR/LOC, glideslope, and marker beacon receivers. Both systems are compatible with EFIS and moving map displays via an ARINC 429 interface and are FAA TSO- and EASA ETSO-qualified.

The Northrop T-38C Talon is a two-seat, twin-engine, supersonic jet trainer that is flown by the United States Air Force, NASA, The US Naval Test Pilot School, and by NATO nations in joint training programs with USAF pilots.

It supports US and NATO pilot training for officers preparing for front-line operation in a range of combat fighters and bombers, including the F-35 JSF, F-22, F-16, F-15, B-1B, and A-10.